Footbridge

Synonyms / Other Terms Used

Pedestrian Bridge, Catwalk

Category

General Information, General Access, Public Facilities, Tourism

Message / Function

To show the location of a footbridge

	Source	Description
76	SSRS	Side view of a walking figure with backpack, footbridge with railing, over water shown as two wavy lines
A)	ÖNORM A 3011	Side view of a walking figure, footbridge with railing, over water shown as two wavy lines
B)	Wurnitsch	Side view of a walking figure, footbridge with railing, over water shown as two wavy lines
	tdc	Symbolic footbridge with railing, human figur with legs and arms far apart
	U.S. National Park Service	Side view of a walking human figure, footbridge drawn as dashed line
	Aragón	Side view of a walking human figure, footbridge
	ISO 7001	Side view of a climbing figure, part of a pedestrian overpass or footbridge
53	ON Testdesign	Side view of human figure walking up stairs to bridge with railing above water shown as two wavy lines
45	ON Testdesign	Side view of human figure walking up stairs ending in horizontal line above water shown as two wavy lines
65	ON Testdesign	Side view of a walking figure with backpack, part of footbridge with railing, over water shown as two wavy lines
65	ON Testdesign	Side view of a walking figure with backpack on middle of footbridge with railing above water shown as two wavy lines
	Ecuador	Side view of human figure walking across suspension footbridge or rope bridge
C)	Vavrinek	Side view of footbridge with railing, over water shown as two wavy lines, banks with visible structure
	swisstopo 2023	Line with bar line ends across blue rectangle
	Ordnance Survey	Line divided by white line with black border

Note: Some of the examples shown above were mirrored horizontally to contrast differences.

Discussion

Except for the abstract map symbols at the bottom of the table, graphic symbols for this referent show a clear tendency concerning the image content: almost all present a side view of a footbridge, most with a walking figure on the bridge. Additional elements are a railing, water below the bridge, and sometimes abutments or banks on both sides to enforce the message.

In our research we discovered that there is very limited test data available for the referent Footbridge, concerning designs of footbridges across water in particular:

When the Austrian Standards Institute attempted to develop a comprehensable pictogram for Footbridge, several variants were designed and five pictograms subjected to a test on basis of the Comprehensibility Estimation procedure (Brugger, 1999). Generally variants including abutments or banks on both sides were rated better than pictograms without or just displaying stairs on one side. Showing a human figure with backpack or rucksack was seen as misleading by some respondents, inducing possible confusions with Hiking or Hiking Trail for example. For the pictogram design judged as least comprehensible with a mean estimation score of 45 only and displaying a figure walking up stairs ending in a horizontal line above water, several respondents noted that this should represent a diving board. The numbers next to the pictograms in the table above are the mean estimation values reported for the corresponding pictograms in this study.

The three pictograms marked A) to C) in the table above reached reached quite similar results when tested for comprehension (Brugger, 2000): With comprehension scores of 84.3, 79.9 and 76.0 (A) to C)) according to ISO 9186 all proved to be sufficiently comprehensible and fulfilled relevant ISO requirements. Designs A) and B) by Wurnitsch were more often explicitly named as Footbridge or Bridge for Pedestrians than the pictogram provided by Vavrinek. Based on these results and regarding further aspects variant A) was selected for use a standardized symbol.

Recommendations

As the pictograms tested show footbridges across water and therefore limit possible fields of application, we suggest to develop additional pictogram variants without water but regarding test results described above. Then studies comparing pictogram No 169 from ÖNORM A 3011 as well as symbol PI PF 080 from ISO 7001 with concepts not examined up to now. The study design should also include a Comprehension Test to identify possible misinterpretations and to improve designs. Only on such a basis an excellent solution and good recommendation will be found. Furthermore the question whether a differentiation between Footbridge and Pedestrian Overpass really is necessary, should become clear as a result of that study.

Until then we can recommend using public information symbol No 169 of ÖNORM A 3011 part 11 shown below as graphical symbol for indicating the location of a footbridge across water.

ÖNORM A 3011 Public Information Symbol No 169: Footbridge (Steg)

Tests of pictograms of referent Footbridge

Brugger: Ch. (1999): Verständnisschätzungen - Projekt 1999. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute dated December 1999.

Brugger: Ch. (2000): Verständlichkeitstest ON 2000. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute (ON) dated November 2000, Vienna.